REVOKE LDS CHURCH 501 (c) (3) STATUS
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has gone too far in substantial activities to influence legislation.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (also known as the “Mormon” or LDS Church) has gone too far in promoting the 2008 California Proposition 8, which would claims to amend the California state constitution to define marriage as one man and one woman in order to supersede a state supreme court opinion issued earlier this year. [Whether the proposition was a lawful amendment or a revision that cannot legally be made by a voter initiative remains an open question.]
Section 501(c)(3) of US Code Title 26, which governs tax-exempt organizations, reads (emphasis added):
"(3) Corporations, and any community chest, fund, or foundation, organized and operated exclusively for religious, charitable, scientific, testing for public safety, literary, or educational purposes, or to foster national or international amateur sports competition (but only if no part of its activities involve the provision of athletic facilities or equipment), or for the prevention of cruelty to children or animals, no part of the net earnings of which inures to the benefit of any private shareholder or individual, no substantial part of the activities of which is carrying on propaganda, or otherwise attempting, to influence legislation (except as otherwise provided in subsection (h)), and which does not participate in, or intervene in (including the publishing or distributing of statements), any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for public office.
(The “otherwise provided” clause does not apply, as the LDS Church, being a church, is a disqualified entity as described in subsection (h).)"
The LDS church, through inciting its members to donate time and means to support Proposition 8 (resulting in millions of dollars of cash contributions from its members and countless volunteer hours), and in-kind campaign contributions to a group that supports Proposition 8, has now made a substantial part of its activities attempting to influence legislation.
You can help! Send the IRS an official complaint about the LDS Church’s activities, either by email, fax or US Mail.
- Prepare a copy of the Official LDS Prop. 8 Letter read in all LDS churches in California on 29 June 2008.
- Prepare this Pre-Filled IRS Form 13909 and add your personal information.
- Don’t forget to date your referral at the top and include your submitter information. If you are a member of the Church, you may wish to check the box marked “I am concerned that I might face retaliation or retribution if my identity is disclosed.”
- Send it to the IRS, either by:
* Email: Prepare your documents as PDF’s or web links, and send your complaint form with supporting documentation to eoclass@irs.gov.
* Fax: fax your documents to (214) 413-5415
* Mail: mail your documents to
IRS EO Classification
Mail Code 4910DAL
1100 Commerce Street
Dallas TX 75242-1198
THESE ARE THE DOCUMENTS THAT YOU HAVE TO PRINT AND E-MAIL/FAX/MAIL:
Letter sent by Mormon Church asking for donations and activists to fight Gay Marriage.
Pre Filled form. Just DATE IT and add your personal info, or check the box that will keep your identity undisclosed.
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RESOURCES:
Official IRS Complaint Process for Tax-Exempt Organizations
US Code Title 26, Section 501
Official LDS Prop. 8 Letter
List of LDS Entities (Source of Tax ID Number)
Information required for IRS Form 13909:
Name of Referred Organization: The Corporation of the President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Street Address: 50 E. North Temple St., Salt Lake City UT 84150
Organization’s EIN: 23-7300405
For Section 4, see the Pre-Filled IRS Form 13909, or write your concerns in your own words. If your reader will not open that form, try the Alternative Pre-Filled 13909.
Patrizia Pepe
Let's all help out girls!!
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1"Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek." BARACK OBAMA
Amen!!!
2Thanks Shi, I'll do it for sure!
3yay! Hubby and I already filled up our forms.
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4"Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek." BARACK OBAMA
I wonder how the IRS gauges the "...no substantial part of the activities of which is carrying on propaganda, or otherwise attempting, to influence legislation..." bit. That seems awfully subjective. \
It's really, really sucky that the LDS church would try to have any word in this matter, even if it does oppose the church's ultimate view, but with the size and ALL the combined workings of the Mormon faith, its churches, its parishioners and missionaries and all its many programs, I bet the campaign for Prop. 8 was a relatively small portion of its overall workings.
5Great points Moto. Also, this would be hard to enforce unless donating money to anti-prop.8 campaigns was forced on it's members. Most churches as one point or another have suggested a certain route regarding matters. That doesn't make it right, but just such a widespread problem that enforcing one instance would be nigh on impossible do to all the court tie-ups that lawyers would inevitably throw in.
6I have to find the source but I do know that 45% of the out-of-state funding for Yes on 8 came from Utah and more specifically LDS. I have real issue with out-of-state parties trying to affect our state legislature for their own personal beliefs
Plus its just a gross and complete violation of separation of church and state
7Seriously, Jess, WTF? Spend your money on your own state's issues. Dammit, that makes me SO mad!
8Well said Jess. I hope that millions of people will send in their complaints.
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9"Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek." BARACK OBAMA
Okay, I'm going to try and get this right, I heard a theory that Prop 8 failed because alot of the voters that were prompted to get out and vote for Obama, came from very religeous backgrounds (African American, and Latinos were listed) and alot of them voted against Prop 8.
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10OBAMA: You Betcha, My Friends!
That's true Jinx.
11I'll do it!
12I'll do it... Wow this is crazy!
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OBAMA 
OBAMA 
OBAMA 
13Jinx- the vote of older people also affected it. They come from a different time so a lot of them are not for equal rights
14The power of the Mormons around the world is unbelievable!
15That is sadly true Jinxy. It's prejudice and discrimination, all over again. But hopefully we will also overcome this injustice. Or at least make a statement. Nobody goes out in the streets now to protest as they did in the 60's, but at least we can do it using technology
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16"Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek." BARACK OBAMA
We now know it was mostly older conservative voters who voted Yes on Prop. 8.
17It is so sad when people get outraged without looking at the facts. No on 8 raised more money, and over half again as much out of state funding as Yes on 8. If you go after one, you need to go after all of them. Mormons make easy targets. As the saying goes, California always follows the Mormons. (see quote below for the numbers)
"supporters of Proposition 8 had raised $27.5 million, with about 19% of the money coming from outside California. Opponents have raised $31.2 million, with 34% of the money coming from outside the state"
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-...
18Interesting numbers, Iss - a good look at the other side of things.
Here's something I've been thinking about a lot lately... Many people seem caught up on keeping "marriage" between a man and a woman, so these propositions and amendments to restrain "marriage" to one man and one woman pass with good numbers in so many states. What if it was gone about a different way? Ultimately, isn't the issue about equal rights? I don't think it's true that everyone who is in opposition to gay "marriage" would be opposed to civil unions granting comparable rights to same-sex couples. So, why aren't those things voted on? If the terminology was changed around a bit, would there be a greater success rate for equal rights?
19I actually think that we should go after all of them iss. If the institutions that supported Yes on 8 had religious status, then they should all be penalized for having exhorted their members to participate in politics. They politicized themselves, so why should they keep their privileges? We as a society could use all the money that they are not paying in taxes, to build more schools and other urgent matters that would benefit everybody.
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20"Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek." BARACK OBAMA
Moto, the problem with this subject is not only that it makes their relationship inherently different from what every other citizen has, but also that many States don't recognize the same rights for "civil unions".
I read an article on the Sunday paper that was elaboration on this subject: [...] "John Stemberger, an Orlando lawyer who headed the "Yes2Marriage" campaign, said domestic partnership benefits do not equate to marriage because they offer only minimal rights compared with the hundreds that legally come when two people wed. He said the amendment would bar the type of civil unions that confer the rights of marriage to same-sex couples."
[...] Ken Keechl, the first openly gay member of the Broward County Commission, has asked the county attorney to research how best to protect the domestic partnership ordinance from a court challenge. Despite the comments by Amendment 2 proponents, he and other local officials think someone will eventually use the constitutional change as a basis for legal action.
That's what happened in Michigan and Kentucky.
The Michigan Supreme Court this year ruled that public employers there are barred from providing health-care benefits to the partners of gay and lesbian workers in light of a 2004 ban on gay marriage. The attorney general of Kentucky ruled last year that the University of Kentucky and the University of Louisville could not offer insurance to unmarried domestic partners of employees because of that state's gay-marriage ban.
"This amendment doesn't just ban gay marriage, because that was already on the books," Keechl said. "It bans something called the substantial equivalent, and you have to wonder what that means."
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21"Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek." BARACK OBAMA
Shi, you rock in so many ways! What an asset to our country are you?!
22That is so kind of you Wren! Thanks!!
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23"Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek." BARACK OBAMA
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